


The Paladin and The Puppy

by darkhedgeknight



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Forgotten Realms
Genre: Dog - Freeform, Paladin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-09
Updated: 2019-06-09
Packaged: 2020-04-23 14:27:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19152892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkhedgeknight/pseuds/darkhedgeknight
Summary: After leaving the Enclave of the Moon, Joetaro ventures to Waterdeep only to stop in a town. His chance in meeting a woman leads him to his first task as a paladin, which involves helping a dog.





	1. The Paladin meets a puppy

Joetaro Jodilyn stepped quietly through Daggerford’s gates, taking note of the different folks walking quietly through the streets. He clutched the crescent holy symbol draped around his neck as sweat dripped from his scalp topped with blood-red hair onto his forehead and whispered a prayer to Selune for granting him a safe journey.

It had been a month since the half-elf pledged his life to the Moon Goddess with the usual paladin vows of protecting the innocent and fighting in her honor. Even with the valorous proclamations of defending her honor and innocents, Joetaro made sure to follow his goddess’ one command to him - Live.

A warm beat emitted from the symbol as he clutched it tightly. “Perhaps a days rest in Daggerford will be nice before I continue to Waterdeep,” Joetaro said quietly as he passed what he assumed was a mother and her son kneeling at a headstone propped against the tree. He approached the small wooden headstone propped against the tree and glanced at the woman. “I am sorry for your loss,” he said nervously.

The woman nodded as she placed a bouquet of roses at the grave. “She was my sister,” the woman answered. “I only learned of her death a week ago.”

Joetaro nodded and knelt next to the tombstone and asked. “What was her name?”

The woman nudged the boy move along before turning back to Joetaro. “Her name was Thursa.”

Joetaro watched her leave, wanting to know more about why her sister would leave abruptly. A wave of sadness washed over him and he wondered if he said something that upset the woman. After all, he was a stranger coming into town with personal questions. He turned back to the gravestone and whispered another prayer to Selune, to watch over Thursa.

Joetaro took three steps down the street before hearing a faint panting and whining from behind the tree. Ajolt of happiness surged through Joetaro. Growing up in Arabel, he and the other orphans would visit the local Purple Dragon barracks and to meet and play with the training dogs.

He circled around the tree, expecting to find a dog, only to discover a pile of moving bones shuffling around the tree before coming together to form a canine skeleton. The skull peered at Joetaro as its bony tail began to wag.

Joetaro pulled his holy symbol from within his shirt and pointed it toward the skeleton dog, praying that Selune would put the dog’s spirit to rest.. Silver light emitted from the holy symbol as Joetaro watched the skeleton sheepishly crawled to the headstone and lay next to it.

“He must have belonged to Thursa,” whispered Joetaro as he once again pointed the holy symbol at the dog. The skeleton darted around the tree, forcing Joetaro to follow in pursuit. He made one more circle around the tree before falling in front of two guards, who shook their heads and muttered something about Sword Coast tourists before leaving.

Joetaro’s face flushed with embarrassment as the dog jumped in his lap. He placed his hands on the dog’s boney back and felt the creature’s warmth and fur before a tongue licked his face.

The half-elf giggled as instinctively pet the dog’s ears and stared into the silver glow in the creature’s eyes. “I am sorry friend, but you cannot stay in this plane of existence,” Joetaro said softly, causing the dog to whine and turn to the headstone. “I know, you miss your master.”

Joetaro clutched the vibrating symbol as a silver-haired woman adorned in common clothes stood over him. Joetaro held the squirming dog as a faint blue-white glow wrapped around the figure. “My lady, I am sorry I have not been able to send him on his way,” stammered Joetaro as he began to stand. He chuckled uncomfortably as he placed the dog between them.

The goddess Selune smiled at Joetaro before she reached out pet the dog, who sat obediently. “Good boy,” she nodded, before turning to Joetaro. “Perhaps the reason he is here is because he has one mission for his owner. One that you must undertake.”

Joetaro turned to Thursa’s headstone as he felt the dog nuzzle his leg. He turned back to find his goddess had vanished. “I have my orders,” Joetaro said as the dog leaned onto him before running into the distance.

With one last prayer to Selune, Joetaro followed the dog down the road.

*************

The duo came upon a small circle of wagons outside of Daggerford’s gates. He recognized the woman from earlier as she was patching a hole in a skirt. She stopped as he approached her. “You were the man from earlier, did I leave something at the headstone?” she asked while setting down her project.

“My name is Joetaro, a servant of Selune. I was wondering if you could tell me more about your sister? What kind of person was she like?” He felt the canine nudge his leg and added,” Did she have a dog?”

The woman cocked an eyebrow at Joetaro’s last words. “Joetaro, I am Starava. I had not spoken to my sister in some time, but she might have had a dog. The Daggerford townspeople I spoke to did not know much about her except she studied necromancy. She was a good person, she just had this fascination with death. It goes all the way to when we were kids. We all have our hobbies.”

Joetaro nodded. “Did you know the cause of her death?”

“From what I have been told, she was having dinner at the Dragonback Inn, where she lived,” Staravia answered. “After she finished her wine, she collapsed and the innkeeper, Rubik, was unable to revive her. There were some rumors that she poisoned herself.”

Joetaro detected cynicism in her final words. “And you do believe that?” he asked.

“I do not know much about necromancy, but I know my sister would not be careless with her spells, nor would she take her own life,” Starava said. 

She held up her hand as the sound of horses and wagon leaders shouting echoed from ahead. “We are leaving soon, and I will be glad to leave this place. “I wish I could stay longer, but I have to return to Barovia. It was nice meeting you.”

Joetaro waved goodbye as he watched her leave. He quickly moved through the city gates and once again watched the residents pass him without even a look. A wave of loneliness washed over him before the dog moved in front of him. Warmth began to grow in Joetaro as he asked, “Shall we go to the Dragonback Inn?”

The dog barked with enthusiasm and led the way.


	2. The Paladin at the Dragonback Inn

Joetaro entered the Dragonback Inn, moving past the empty tables to the counter where a heavyset dwarf was cleaning a dirty glass. “You must be Rubik,”

Rubik peered at the half-elf and answered with a nod. Excuse me, did a Thursa happen to stay here?”

A somber expression crossed Rubik’s face. “She did at one time,” he answered before leaning toward Joetaro. “I suppose you heard that she died here. I don’t believe the rumors, that her magic killed her. She was a good woman. Are you here to investigate her room?”

Joetaro shook his head as he felt the dog brush his feet. “No, in fact I just met her sister. I promised that I would take care of Thursa’s belongings and last rites and return them to her.”

The dwarf cocked an eyebrow as Joetaro reached into his bag and produced some coins. “If it is alright with you, I would like to rent her room for the night.”

Rubik took the coins and handed Joetaro the room key. “I did meet her sister earlier and she was sorry she could not stay to take care of her belongings, it is good you are doing this. You’re not concerned about her ghost haunting the room or anything?”

Joetaro shook his head. “Ghosts are not always a bad thing,” he said, glancing at the canine moving around his feet.”

Rubik pointed upstairs and twirled his finger. “Her room was on the second floor, the first room on the right. My staff haven’t had a chance to clean it. I was not going to rent it until staff have cleaned it, but if her sister gave you permission then I have no problem with her sleeping in there.” 

Joetaro nodded and placed the key in his pocket. He hesitated and glanced at the ground one last time before asking Rubik,” Did Thursa have a dog?”

The dwarf had already turned his back and filled a mug with ale. “She did a long time ago but it passed away. She was devastated at losing him. I cannot recall his name.”

Joetaro shook his head as the dog barked before tugging at his pant leg.

He raced up walking up the stairs and followed Rubik’s directions. As he unlocked the door, the dog nudged it open and darted inside. Joetaro scanned the room, noting small bed and books littered along the table. He approached one of the books, running his finger along the binding and the imprint of a jackal’s face on the front. his eyes scanned the bottom of the cover that had Thursa’s name stamped on it. He gently pushed the book away and touched the cover before the dog barked. 

“You are right, it would be an invasion of privacy,” Joetaro said as he backed away. The dog jumped onto the desk pawed the book open, flipping to one of the pages. Joetaro followed the canine’s toes to one of the entries where the word Guinis was written at the top with a drawing of a small dog underneath it.

“Guinis, that must be you,” Joetaro smiled as he rubbed the dog’s back. “Guinis, that is a nice name, very strong, very stout.”

Joetaro scratched behind the dog’s ears as footsteps echoed from the doorway. He turned to find a burly, curly-haired bearded man whose hair matched his silk, gold shirt and cufflinks. The man instantly drew his sword, his baritone voice quivering with rage. “What is the meeting of this, why are you doing here?”

“This is my room for the night,” answered Joetaro as Guinis closed the book. “It is rude to walk into someone’s room uninvited.”

“I told the innkeeper the room was supposed to be closed to everyone,” the man said erratically before raising a sword to Joetaro. “Get away from that desk, get that thing off of it. Did you touch that book?”

“I paid for this room, I’m not leaving,” Joetaro said as he stood face-to-face with the newcomer, sensing this man’s anger. A growling Guinis moved next to Joetaro and the paladin could almost feel the tiny hairs on the dog’s back.

The man reached into his pocket and tossed a small pouch at Joetaro. “Go downstairs and ask for a new room. This one is closed.”

Joetaro tossed the pouch back and moved past the man and grabbed Guinis who barked loudly as they went downstairs.

*********

Joetaro and Guinis did not stay at the Dragonback Inn, rather they traveled to outskirts of town and set up his camp. In-between his sleeps, Joetaro watched Guinis resting peacefully. He wanted to hold the dog, but still respected his distance as he still belonged to Thursa. Still, this had been the longest he had been around a canine and he was happy.

The next morning, Joetaro returned to Daggerford and passed the Dragonback Inn when he noticed the man who had kicked him and Guinis out of Thursa’s room. The stranger was sitting on the inn’s deck, having breakfast with a dark elf woman, who was sipping tea. He watched the two exchange laughs before glancing at Guinis, who growled in the man’s direction.

“I just cannot believe she is gone, Heras” Joetaro heard the woman say. “We were friends for a long time.”

“You had been friends with her for as long as I had known her. Do not worry Azona, Thursa is in a better place,” the man replied before noticing Joetaro. After glaring at the half-elf, he turned to Azona and kissed her, playing with the gold chain around her neck. “I will see you tonight, my love.”

Azona smiled as Heras walked away. She turned to Joetaro, who bowed politely. “Is something I can help you with?” she asked him.

Joetaro nodded and gestured at Heras, who entered the inn. “I could not help but hear you and Thursa were friends. I recently came to town and tried to rent her room the other night-”

Azona crossed her eyebrows and her welcoming expression turned into a scowl. “Heras told me about you. He said he told Rubik to keep the room closed off to everyone.” She shook her head. “Perhaps Heras had not told him after all. I apologize if he was rude to you. Please, sit down”

“Do not worry, I found other means for a bed,” said Joetaro as he sat across from her. “How long did you know Thursa?”

“She and I first met, here in Daggerford years ago,” Azona explained before removing a coin from her pocket. “ Heras introduced us and knew I would like her, despite me being a cleric of Lathander She was a good friend and not afraid to be honest with me.”

The half-elf felt Guinis brush his leg before jumping on the table. “Did she have a dog?”

Azona’s eyes widened before she nodded. “She had a puppy, years ago named Guinis. He did not survive the winter but Thursa vowed to bring him back to life with her magic. She never told me if the spell was successful.”

Joetaro glanced at Guinis, who peered into Azona’s tea cup, which she seemed to not mind. “She was going to be my matron of honor at my wedding,” Azona said.

He noticed tears welling Azona’s eyes as she excused herself. “Thank you for sharing this with me,” Joetaro said as he watched Guinis leap from the table dash behind the inn. “Excuse me for a moment,” he said before following the dog.

Joetaro came upon Guinis who began to dig through the dirt. He was unsure whether to tell the dog to cease his digging until the canine tossed a chain at his feet.

The half-elf retrieved the chain as Guinis pointed toward the front of the inn. Joetaro touched the chain in his hand. “This was the same chain that belonged to Azona, but it belonged to Thursa.”

Guinis barked and nodded. Joetaro played with the chain for a few moments. “Azona must have given her this chain,” he said, not noticing Guinis shaking his head.

Joetaro rose this feet to return to the deck, only to find Azona had left.

He turned back as three armored figures stood before him, blades dawn. Each one had flesh dangling from their bodies, save for the obsidian jackal masks that covered their faces. Joetaro dodged the first two sword swipes before a third cut his shoulder. He drove his shoulder into one of his attackers, causing it to drop their curved blade.

Joetaro evaded one more swipe before grabbing the sword and swinging it across one shambling corpse’s chest while Guinis knocked it down.

The half-elf turned left, surpressing the urge to cough as the stench of death flew into his nose. He drove his blade through the warrior’s chest and pulled the weapon free as the final attacker’s sword missed him. Joetaro cut his weapon in an arc, cutting through the warrior’s arms and chest.

After placing the sword on the ground, Joetaro examined the chain as Guinis barked at him. He removed one of the masks to reveal a grotesque corpse. He started at the jackal mask. “That was similar to the face on Thursa’s book. Could she have sent this?”

Guinis growled and barked at Joetaro, who turned to the dog. “I am sorry, I should not have accused Thursa of sending those zombies,” Joetaro said. His thoughts turned to the book and the jewelry. “Perhaps, Heras had something to do with this,” Joetaro said as Guinis nodded.


	3. The Paladin fights alongside the dog

Joetaro and Guinis found Heras at a cart, purchasing gloves when he turned to the half-elf and focused on the tears in his clothing. “Azona told me you said you found another means of sleep. Many people camp outside of Daggerford, though the woods can be rough on clothing. There are different shops, perhaps I can recommend a store to you.”

“Perhaps I will look for some later,” Joetaro said, withdrawing the chain and tossing it as Heras. “I found this necklace behind the Dragonback Inn. It matches one I saw Azona wearing. This was buried in the ground.”

Heras shrugged and clapped. “Congratulations on finding jewelry. I am sure you will make a good treasure hunter.” He stopped as Joetaro withdrew a curved, cracked sword.

“I was also attacked by three zombies after I found the necklace,” Joetaro continued.

“Zombies you say,” Heras said. “I am a novice when it comes magic. However, Thursa was a necromancer who studied texts from Mulhorand and had numerous artifacts. She might have not liked the idea of you digging up her necklace and taking it, and accusing one of her closest friends.”

Joetaro placed the sword on his belt as Heras circled him. “It is admirable that you want to protect Thursa’s honor,” the half-elf said. “You, Azona and Thursa must have been close.”

Heras sighed and placed the jewelry in his coat. “Azona had a lot of affection for Thursa. Yet Thursa had other reasons for their friendship. She had feelings for me, and those feelings turned into obsession. I tried to tell her my heart was reserved for Azona, but she would not leave me alone. She tried many gifts but they did not work.”

Joetaro crossed his arms as Heras shook his head once more. “She wanted us to leave Daggerford and runaway to Waterdeep too elope. This was days before her death.”

Joetaro’s breath was taken away at Heras’ comments. “I know what you’re thinking. You’re a paladin, whose vow is to save everyone, but there is nothing you could have done to save her,” Heras said as he began to walk away. “You should not trouble yourself with Thursa’s troubles. Take the dog and leave Daggerford, and start a new life.”

Joetaro waited for Heras to leave before he sank to his knees. He turned to Guinis, who continued to growl in Heras’ direction. “I am sorry my friend,” he whispered to Guinis as he wrapped his arms around the dog. Perhaps he could have saved Thursa if he came to Waterdeep and save her.

Joetaro began sliding into despair before he felt Guinis nuzzle his neck. He smiled and hugged the dog tightly, fighting back tears.

*******

Joetaro and Guinis ventured to the Morninglow Tower where he immediately felt uncomfortable among the priests of Lathander because of his canine companion. He glanced at Guinis, who was also skittish about the priests. To their surprise, the priests paid no mind to the undead dog as the duo walked to the empty room with a small bed.

Joetaro laid on the bed as Guinis jumped next to him and licked his face. He laughed as the dog’s kisses put his mind at ease, then glanced as the moonlight shined on Guinis.

The dog let out a whine before wagging his tail and stared at the moon. Joetaro smiled as Selune’s presence filled the room and shined at Guinis. “I will still help you.”

The half-elf dozed off for what seemed like minutes until a loud crash echoed from the other side of the door. He jumped from the bed as the crashing continued from outside.

Joetaro opened the door and found three priests bleeding out on the floor tiles, with two jackal-faced warriors standing over them.

“I thought we took care of them” Joetaro said as he searched for a weapon. He felt a sword swipe across his back as he reached for a staff on the floor. Guinis darted forward and tore through a warrior’s leg as Joetaro rose to his feet, driving the staff through the creature before it could attack his friend.

After felling the warrior with another swipe, Joetaro attacked a second foe, bringing the staff across the creature’s head while Guinis barreled through its leg.

Two more warriors stumbled through the door as Joetaro and Guinis and moved toward the other side of the room, their eyes darting between the priests. Guinis moved over and nuzzled one priest, making sure he was dead as Joetaro checked the other priest, avoiding the attack.

As they reached outside, Joetaro and Gunis found more jackal-faced warriors. Joetaro slammed his staff through one of them as Guinis knocked down another before the two escaped outside.

Joetaro stopped as he turned next to Guinis and stared at the door. “We’ll have to inform the guards -“ He stopped when Azona arrived with her holy symbol drawn forward. A bright light blasted forth from her holy symbol, turning the warriors into dust. Joetaro felt Guinis creep under him. 

Azona turned to Joetaro, drawing her dagger. “I had heard you were staying here, what is the meaning of this? What happened to the temple?”

“We were sleeping when the temple was attacked,” answered Joetaro. “There were these jackal-faced warriors who attacked us earlier. They must have followed us here.”

“We, us?” Azona asked, suspicion rising in her voice. “Where is this other person you speak of?”

Joetaro glanced between Guinis and the cleric as she raised her holy symbol once more. “Guinis, this dog who is with me.”

“Guinis is dead,” said Azona as she lowered her holy symbol. “Heras was right, you are mad Joetaro, like Thursa was. She was obsessed with bringing him back to life.”

Joetaro turned back to Guinis, who tilted his head at the priestess. “You cannot see him?” he asked her. He remembered Heras could see the dog, but wondered why should could not.

“Heras could see Guinis,” Joetaro said out loud as he bent to pet the dog in attempt to show Azona he was there. “He told me other things about Thursa, saying she was obsessed with him.”

Azona slowly sheathed her dagger before asking Joetaro to follow her into the temple. The two began to set the warriors on fire. After the undead were finished, Azona prayed to Lathander to watch over the priests in the afterlife.

Once she was finished, Azona locked the temple and turned to Joetaro. “I will inform Luch Sunbright of what happened when he returns to Daggerford.” She patted the seat next to her. “Heras told me Thursa was obsessed with him,” she began as Joetaro sat down. “I tried talking to her but she said it was him who was obsessed with her. She and I only discussed the matter once, and everything seemed to calm down after Heras proposed to me, though she asked me not to leave her in the same room as him. Some time passed and she told me she was going to leave for Waterdeep to study at Blackstaff Tower. I was happy for her and asked what I could do to help her move. She told me she planned to leave in the middle of the evening. That was the last conversation we had.”

Azona muttered curses under her lips before shaking her head, tears welling in her eyes. “Heras and I were going to be married after she left. She said she was fine with leaving and did not want to distract from the wedding.” She shook her head once more and walked away.

“Excuse me Joetaro, I have to see my fiancé,” said Azona as she walked past the temple.

Joetaro watched her leave before he turned to Guinis. “We have to back to the inn.”


	4. The Paladin makes a lifelong friend

Armed with the staff he had taken from the temple, and with Guinis at his side, Joetaro approached Thursa’s room, listening to Heras’ voice from the outside of the door. Rubik had warned them the man had walked up to the room and said he would be willing to help if Heras needed to be “put down.”

Joetaro opened the door as Heras sat on Thursa’s bed, stroking her journal and petted the spine, a euphoric expression on his face. The man snapped out of his trance and sneered as the half-elf stepped into the room and withdrew an amulet from his cloak, stroking the jackal-shaped stone at the end. “It seems you are harder to kill,” he said to Joetaro and Guinis.

“I have your fiancé to thank for that,” Joetaro answered as he pointed his staff toward Heras. “She is looking for you.”

“She and I are supposed to meet for dinner,” Heras said as he rose from the bed. “I suppose I will have to dispatch of you and the mutt first.”

“Before you try, why did you do it?” Joetaro asked as Gunis moved in front of him. “Why did you kill Thursa?”

“I could not let her leave,” Heras answered calmly. “She had to stay with me. I could not let her leave. I had to make sure nothing came between us.”

Joetaro followed Heras’ eyes to his canine companion. “You tried to eliminate everything Thursa moved, and you murdered Guinis, didn’t you?”

“I couldn’t let anything stand in my way with Thursa,” Heras answered. “She was an angel, ever since she entered my life one year ago. I made all attempts to win her, but to no avail. When she rebuffed my offers, I began courting Azona. She is a suitable woman, but I thought if I could court her, Thursa would become envious and take me. When that did not work, I had to eliminate everything that could come between us, including that dog.”

Heras moved closer to Joetaro and continued,” When Thursa threatened to move to Waterdeep, I was crushed. I could not let her leave. Poisoning her has kept her in Daggerford. I can have her all to myself. I tried to retrieve her body, but the dog kept appearing at her grave, every time I tried to remove her.”

Guinis barked and growled as he inched toward Heras, ready to stroke.“Miserable mutt,” Heras spat before the turned back to the half-elf. “With Thursa gone, that makes things less complicated. I can marry Azona and use her wealth to own all of Thursa and her possessions.”

Joetaro gripped his staff tighter. “I am sure Thursa’s sister would not like the idea of her killer owning the last place she was alive.”

Heras turned to him with a bewildered expression. “She … Thursa never told me she had a sister,” he muttered, his voice rising in anger. “She has a sister. How did I not know this?”

“She never told you of her sister,” Joetaro said, ready to play on the man’s answer. “Perhaps I knew Thursa better than you. If I had come to Daggerford sooner, I could have traveled with her to Waterdeep.”

Heras screamed and pounced on Joetaro, his fists flailing on the half-elf’s chest in a frenzy before wrapping his hands around his neck. Joetaro felt his throat clench as he stared into Heras’ rage-filled eyes.

“I will choke the life out of-“ Heras stopped as Gunis launched at him, digging his claws into his face while attempting to retrieve the amulet. Heras rose and tossed the dog to the floor and whispered into the amulet. Joetaro breathed hard and watched as two warriors rose from the floor in front of their master.

After rising to his feet, Joetaro turned in a semicircle and slammed his staff through one zombie’s sternum. He was about to go for a second attack when a sharp pain broke through the small of his back and shot up his body.

“You will not take her from me,” whispered Heras as Joetaro drove his below into his stomach. The half-elf suppressed the pain to drive a right hook into Heras’ throat and wrestled him to the floor. Guinis leapt back onto Heras, this time retrieving the amulet and carrying it to the door. Heras yelled as he clawed at Joetaro, raking his eyes before pushing him off.

As Heras regained his footing, three more jackals appeared and leaped at him, tearing through his clothes and flesh. Joetaro inched his way to Guinis and watched the dogsniff and lick the amulet.

Another shot of pain caused Joetaro to grunt as he took both Guinis and the amulet out of the room and spotted Azona and Rubik reaching the top of the stairs.

“I heard screaming from downstairs,” the dwarf said as kneeled next to Joetaro, who closed his eyes, praying to Selune as silver light seeped from his fingertips and closed his wound. He watched Azona push the door and gasp at the warriors tearing Heras’ body.

“Heras confessed to killing Thursa,” Joetaro cried as he watched a cold expression cross Azona’s face while Heras’ screamed echoed from the door. The priestess waited before entering the room and shining her holy symbol with Rubik following her.

Joetaro sighed as he scratched Guinis. He stared into the dog’s eyes as two silver tears ran down the canine’s cheek. Guinis licked Joetaro’s face affectionately before vanishing from his lap.

Joetaro stared at the empty space in his lap, then rose to his feet, scanning the hallway for his friend before entering the room. He ignored both the dwarf and Azona as he continued to search the room. “Where is he? Where is Guinis?”

Rubik and Azona exchanged glances. “Maybe he is back with Thursa,” Azona finally answered. “You avenged her murder. His time in this world has passed and he can join her.”

Azona’s response caused Joetaro to stop searching. He sat quietly on the bed as tears began to slide down his face.

*****

In the two days that had passed since his ordeal, Joetaro had spent some time with Azona and helped her bury the bodies of the priest. On the morning before his departure for Waterdeep, he joined her at the Dragonback Inn for morning tea.

Although he was thankful for Azona’s generosity, he found little joy in tea or company. He missed his friend too much.

“Drink your tea,” Azona said as she sat next to him. He nodded and sipped it softly.

“It’s good tea,” he said as Azona placed a set of clothes in front of him and a bag of gold. “I cannot accept these,” he said, pushing them toward her.

“I insist, Joetaro,” she said, pushing them back to him. “I only ask that you remember to pay back your kindness.” Her demeanor sorted as she leaned toward him. “I know you miss him, Joetaro, but Guinis is in a better place. You fulfilled your mission and you can go to Waterdeep.”

Joetaro smiled at Azona’s words until another wave of loneliness hit him. He missed Gunis, so much so that he began to hear faint barking in the distance.

The half-elf jolted from his chair as the barking grew louder. Even Azona heard the noise as she reached for her holy symbol and began praying to Lathander.

After he heard another bark, Joetaro turned to see Guinis sitting behind him. The dog was no longer a skeleton, rather he appeared as a small, dog with sharp ears and a noise and fur that appeared like a star-filled night sky.

Before Joetaro could speak, Guinis flew into his body, causing a rush of warmth flow through him with the sound of playful barking breezing in his mind.

Guinis jumped from his body and appeared on the table his tail wagging furiously. Joetaro hugged and scratched his Guinis’ fur as he felt his friend’s affectionate kisses.

“I have never seen anything like this -“ Azona said as he Guinis leaped into Joetaro’s body, then jumped out to demonstrate his trick for the cleric. “It appears Guinis is bonded to you, Joetaro. It looks like you will have a friend traveling with you on your journey to Waterdeep”

Joetaro smiled as Guinis materialized on his lap. “Yes, and I am looking forward to -“ he stopped his proclamation as Guinis began to slurp his tea, causing Azona to erupt with laughter.


End file.
